This grant cycle is now closed. Stay tuned for upcoming grant opportunities. For details on the recipients of our recent grants, please visit here.
The Centre for Climate and Business Solutions is excited to call for proposals for research focused on spurring climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation within business and society. This initiative is driven by the pressing need for immediate action due to the profound effects of climate change and focuses on encouraging and supporting UBC Sauder research on climate-related topics. These grants are intended to align Sauder research with current industry challenges and increase opportunities for external funding in climate and business.
We are seeking innovative proposals that pioneer novel strategies for climate change mitigation, enhance resilience, and advance adaptation for industries and communities facing heightened climate risks. Funding will be awarded to ground-breaking research on topics including, but not limited to, infrastructure resilience, climate-adaptive insurance models, financial strategies for climate change mitigation, and climate-responsive organizational behaviour and marketing.
To illustrate the breadth of research we aim to support, consider the following examples of potential focus areas:
- Infrastructure Resilience: Insights into climate-related risks to infrastructure, focusing on innovative strategies to enhance adaptability, resilience and rapid recovery from climate disruptions.
- Climate Finance and Insurance: Development of financial products and insurance policies that address climate risks while fostering sustainability across industries and advancing climate risk insurance innovation.
- Behaviour Insights and Marketing for Sustainability: Research on driving sustainable practices through organizational behaviour and climate-aware marketing strategies.
- Supply Chain Resilience in a Changing Climate: Strategies to create more resilient supply chains that respond to climate-induced disruptions.
- Sector-Specific Climate Adaptation Strategies: Tailored strategies for sectors such as agriculture, energy, healthcare, natural resources, or tourism to navigate their unique climate-related issues.
Objective: To provide seed funding on topics related to climate change, business, and society in ways that spur productive research and/or the ability to apply for grant funding from other sources.
Eligibility: The Principal Investigator should either be a tenure track research faculty member at UBC Sauder or a UBC Sauder graduate student as a Co-Applicant with a UBC Sauder tenure track research faculty.
Details: Seed funding is available for $10,000 each, with a potential increase of up to $15,0000 for projects involving collaboration with a PhD student. Selected proposals are expected to include a commitment to knowledge dissemination within the academic and broader community. Upon the conclusion of the research period, funding recipients will be invited to conduct a seminar for the UBC Sauder community.
Decision Criteria:
The proposals will be reviewed by a committee based on:
1. Quality of the Application: Emphasis will be placed on projects that, in the opinion of the reviewers, stand a strong chance of leading to published research and/or securing additional grant funding.
2. Relevance and Impact of the Research: Projects demonstrating potential significant impact in climate mitigation and resilience strategies. Clear articulation of the expected outcomes and their relevance to industry-specific challenges and opportunities. The proposal should demonstrate a direct link between their research objectives and the potential to enhance climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in business and society.
3. Justification for the Funding: Applicants should highlight the importance of the grant for their research funding progression. Projects demonstrating how the grant will catalyze their research or subsequent larger funding opportunities will be given preference.
Preferred Considerations:
4. Industry Collaboration and Real-World Impact: All applicants are encouraged to specify potential industry partners with whom they will collaborate. This partnership aims to transition research findings from academic theories to real-world applications, maximizing the impact on businesses and the broader community.
5. Cross-Faculty Research Collaboration: Applicants are also advised to identify faculty research partners from various fields, such as climate science, forestry, applied science, or other sector-relevant expertise.
Application Procedure:
Interested applicants should provide a concise summary of their intended research, highlighting the primary research question and foundational research methodologies. The proposal should explain how the seed funding will be employed and how it will propel the research endeavour, culminating in either published work or an application for additional grant funds. Furthermore, the proposal must summarize the budget for the sought-after funds. Submissions should not exceed two pages long, double-spaced, and written in 12-point font. An appendix page should be used to present a detailed budget.
Proposal Submission Deadline:
All research proposals must be submitted to the Executive Director of the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions by January 22nd, 2024, at Kookai.c@sauder.ubc.ca.
Announcement of Results:
Grant recipients will be notified by March 1st, 2024.
